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HOLY SHIT. That was awesome. I’ve been enjoying Infinity a lot so far, but this issue was the best yet, and it featured what is probably the greatest Thor moment ever. Seriously, this is on the level of ‘Ultron, we would have words with thee’ for me.

I’ve said before that my favourite side of the Infinity story is the Earth-based, Thanos stuff, but I want to start with the Builders story, because that’s where the best stuff in this issue was. Captain America has convinced the rest of the Galactic Alliance to surrender to The Builders, and so sends his emissary, Thor. Thor is told to get rid of his weapon, and he does, flinging Mjolnir up into space. Thor and The Builder begin to parlay, but the Builder is not exactly up for negotiation, even going so far as to slap Thor across the face when he demands assurances. The Builder forces Thor to get on his knees, as he rants and raves about how Earth will be destroyed. Throughout all of this, we see shots of Mjolnir flying through space, into a Sun, and back out. You know it’s coming, but when it does, it’s still fucking fantastic. Mjolnir comes back down to Hala, right through The Builder and into Thor’s happens. It doesn’t sound like much when my idiot hands have typed it out, but trust me, it was amazing. Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena work together so well here, and it’s just a fantastic sequence, and as I said, one of the coolest things Thor has ever done.

With the Avengers now demonstrating that The Builders can be killed, Thor gets Ronan and the rest of the Kree back on side, and the tide of the battle really has turned. Captain America says that what happens next is that the Avengers win, and I believe him. Man, that was so great.

As for the Earth stuff, that was good too, but it was ruined a bit by the fact that we all knew that Inhumanity was coming. Hickman gives us a bit of exposition about Thane, Son Of Thanos, and about the hidden Inhuman city he lived in. Thane was a healer, and hasn’t been exposed to the Terrigen Mists because the city only has a small amount of it, and can only do 4 or 5 a generation.

We then head back to New York, where Attilan has crash-landed, and Thanos rises from the rubble to see that the Terrigen Bomb has been activated. Hickman shows us what this bomb has done, that every human with even the tiniest speck of Inhuman DNA has been activated, some get their powers instantly, whilst others go into cocoons. This is a game-changer for the Marvel Universe, and when the Hickman’s narration says that ‘the world was changed forever’, you actually believe it. Black Bolt has also survived (though no sign of Lockjaw or Maximus The Mad), and he and Thanos have a gripping fight scene, with Thanos demanding to know where his son is.

Thane’s metamorphosis is another great scene, with it having catastrophic effects on his city. In the process of becoming an Inhuman, Thane kills everyone else around him. From the looks of him, it looks like he can kill with one hand, and heal with the other. He should be a fascinating character for the future. Speaking of futures, it looks like Black Bolt doesn’t have one, as Thanos wins their battle, killing him. It’s strange that Black Bolt is dead, as Hickman is the one who brought him back in FF, but I suppose if Fraction’s upcoming series is going to be based on Game Of Thrones, you need to have a dead king for the various factions to vie over.

This simply put, was one of the best comics I’ve read this year, and it was a true event comic, amazingly epic things happened in this issue, and even though some of it was expected, it was all very well-written, and the artwork from both Dustin Weaver and Jerome Opena is fantastic throughout. I complain about Hickman’s complex and lengthy build-ups, but when the pay-off is as good as this? It’s all worth it. And once again, that Thor scene was fucking amazing.

Between New Avengers and Avengers, the best take on what the Avengers are, and what their place in the 616 is, that I've ever read.

Hyperbole? Maybe for some.

But I say this with all sincerity: It pretty much doesn't matter how Infinity ends, for me. What Jonathan Hickman has done is far more valuable in my mind, my imagination. He's created a coherent world, a coherent universe, out of fictional characters that makes total sense to me.

There's a short list of creators who have done that, during their runs or minis. I totally understood what Frank Miller was saying in Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. I totally understood what Grant Morrison did in JLA. I totally understood Warren Ellis on Planetary, and I totally understood Alan Moore on Watchmen.

This kind of stuff is why I read comics, still, after all this time. Because I just want to be entertained by talented creators who tell stories that have ambition, that have weight, that have vision...that are also FUN. Where the heroes might suffer setbacks, but at no point do they question their cause and what is right, and they keep fighting and find a way to win.

"Accusers! Are you with me?!"

Why, yes, Ronan. Yes, I am.

*Sniff, sniff* "Damn it, Diana...If I'd known they would trade us in for a JT Krul-written Captain Atom and "The Savage Hawkman," I'd have let Superboy-Prime destroy all reality."

"Superman flies and is really strong...what the fuck else do you need to know?!" -- Hitler, expressing his displeasure about DC rebooting and complaints about continuity

yeah this issue kicked a lot of fucking ass. That's really all I can say that hasn't been said, and well it's already been said. Bendis large scale marvel events pail in comparison to how good Hickman is on these three titles.

doombug wrote:You really are the george carlin of the outhouse. that's fucking hilarious.

doombug wrote:and yeah, Yoni called it.

I feel like a condemned building with a brand new flag pole.- Les Paul

fieldy snuts wrote:best event in ages. and i can't believe we only have two issues left, seems like a lot of stuff to resolve before then

I think a load of stuff is going to be left open for Hickman to deal with in Avengers and New Avengers.

"I have my heroes, but no one knows their names"- Sons of the Desert

Strict31 wrote:I'm not sure that combining the nigh-uncontrollable power of LOLtron with the Nacireman is a good idea. Some years from now, when mankind is on the verge of extinction, we'll be able to look back and remember this moment, and say, "DANG."

I agree with the folks who say that this is not a definitive death for Black Bolt.

As for the rest of this issue, I liked it. It looks like everyone in Orollan is dead. I'm sad to see that as a second set of Inhumans would have made for some interesting story possibilities. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with Thane now.

Stephen Day wrote:I agree with the folks who say that this is not a definitive death for Black Bolt.

As for the rest of this issue, I liked it. It looks like everyone in Orollan is dead. I'm sad to see that as a second set of Inhumans would have made for some interesting story possibilities. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with Thane now.

There probably are other "lost" Inhuman tribes or cities that are out there that Thane didn't know about. There were "four hidden kings and a lost queen" mentioned in Infinity #1. Orollan may have been just one city founded by one of the kings/queen.

"I have my heroes, but no one knows their names"- Sons of the Desert

Strict31 wrote:I'm not sure that combining the nigh-uncontrollable power of LOLtron with the Nacireman is a good idea. Some years from now, when mankind is on the verge of extinction, we'll be able to look back and remember this moment, and say, "DANG."